Kaitlan Collins responded after Donald Trump called her a “dummy” during another tense exchange with reporters. Rather than respond to the insult directly, the CNN anchor revisited the confrontation on her nightly show and highlighted a disagreement between Trump and a Republican candidate he supports.
Kaitlan Collins responds to Donald Trump’s ‘dummy’ comment
Trump lashed out at Collins outside the White House on Oct. 21 after she questioned him about his decision to waive sanctions against Russia, according to The Daily Beast.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Trump told her. He then called Collins a “dummy” and a “low-IQ person.”
Collins had asked what South Carolina Senate candidate Darline Graham thought about Trump waiving sanctions connected to legislation named for her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Trump argued that lifting the sanctions helped secure the release of American Stephen Hubbard from Russian detention. However, he did not directly answer Collins’ question about Darline Graham.
Later that evening on The Source, Collins replayed the exchange before airing a clip of Graham taking a different position from Trump.
“Personally I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia,” Graham said in the footage. She added that she did not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin or Russia.
Collins noted that Trump was campaigning for Graham despite her publicly disagreeing with his decision on the sanctions.
The exchange marked another public clash between Trump and the CNN anchor. Their confrontations have become a recurring part of their interactions. Last month, Collins gave Trump a seven-word response after he questioned why CNN was covering him.
Trump also criticized ABC News reporter Karen Travers during the Oct. 21 media appearance after she raised a similar question about Russia.
Collins, meanwhile, focused her response on the policy disagreement rather than Trump’s insult. By highlighting Graham’s comments, she drew attention to the Republican candidate’s different position on maintaining pressure on Russia.
